Chapter 2
DISCLAIMER - None of these delightful characters are mine, all belong to JK Rowling.
The fire in the hearth cast gold and ochre reflections on the stone walls of the room and sitting before the cheery blaze, Luna felt almost cosy. Beside her sat an elderly witch, who had said she was called Professor McGonagall. The woman was kind, though her face was stern set and Luna had just finished the last of a generous tea the woman had arranged, consisting of steaming soup, a plate piled high with sandwiches, and an equally laden dish of puddings, treacle tarts, strawberry sponges, chocolate fingers.
Luna had eaten her fill and had fallen into a thoughtful silence. What was going to happen now, she wondered? The man who had called himself Professor Dumbledore had told her she would be staying with a Hogwarts teacher for the next while. Yet it clearly wasn't this lady, pleasant as she seemed.
There was nothing for it but to wait and so this is what Luna did. Professor McGonagall tried to keep a stream of conversation going but her bracing attempts were beginning to lag. This was not surprising to Luna, people often did not know what to say to her.
It did not trouble her over much, she didn't care for chatter anyway. When there was something worth saying, she always had her father to tell. Or at least she did until yesterday. A small frown flitted across her face as she thought about her Dad but it was disguised by the large, star shaped glasses with the magenta lenses that she was wearing. Googlehoffs they were called and they were the best for allowing one to see star crests, as Dad had told her a hundred times.
One had to be very careful about star crests, as clusters of the rapid flying tiny elves were common causes of making people have inadvertent falls down stairs and off the sides of pavements. They flew so fast, they were impossible to see, unless of course one had their Googlehoffs on.
The glasses, handy as they were for star crest sightings also served to make Luna's face look tiny behind the large and oddly shaped frames. She had no sense of this herself, of course but Professor McGonagall had been observing her surreptitiously for the past hour, though she betrayed no hint of surprise at the peculiarities of her appearance.
The glasses, the mismatched earrings the girl was also wearing, the faded jeans that were several years behind the current fashion, it made for quite striking impression. Minerva McGonagall had been a teacher for a long number of years and in all that time, she had encountered just about every method of adolescent self expression. Changing trends, fluctuating fashions, she had witnessed plenty but none matched what she was looking at with the little girl in front of her now.
It was as if Luna had never seen how other children of her age dressed. That might be close to the truth, Professor McGonagall supposed. She and Xenophillus lived in a house miles from the nearest village. Luna had no other family and Xenophillus' eccentric beliefs meant that he lived on the fringes of the magical community. As far as Minerva knew, this was not an uncomfortable place for either father or daughter and neither had ever sought to change it.
Yet, change had found them and here sat this child in her odd attire, the over large glasses making her look even more fragile and vulnerable. Every instinct Minerva possessed warned that the girl needed to be cared for. She was far from sure that the arrangement being put in place for Luna at this exact moment would deliver that. Yet Albus was so sure that this was the best thing, the right thing and Dumbledore was seldom wrong. Minerva trusted the Headmaster implicitly but even she had to admit, it took a lot of trust to persuade her go along with his strategy.
Severus Snape as guardian for this pixie like child? The man could frighten even her at times, though there was no one to whom she would confess such a thing. The man was sharp of intellect, articulate and insightful which made him an excellent teacher. He was also dour of manner, intolerant of the shortcomings of others, and his tongue could cut deeper than the deadliest blade.
No matter how certain Albus was that placing Luna in his care was the right move, Minerva could not help but harbour doubts. This child would be chaff in a gale, how could this tiny, shy girl be anything other than hopelessly intimidated by the wrathful Master of Potions? Surely it was kindness and understanding she required. Severus, fine educator though he be, was about as nurturing as a cactus plant.
At that precise moment, a peremptory knock at Minerva's office door announced the arrival of the man himself. Luna barely glanced around as Professor McGonagall bid her guest enter. She saw the door open a man stepped into the room, robes swirling, and it looked to Luna that he was emerging from a haze of blackened smoke.
He was darkness itself, face framed by a curtain of black hair, cloaked in midnight robes but it was more than his appearance. Luna sensed that he was of shadows made, heart and soul. She looked back to the fire.
Snape had entered Professor McGonagall's office with his usual stride but was brought up short at the sight that met his eyes.
As his colleague rose to her feet to greet him, his eyes fell on the small figure seated before the fire. He caught sight of a tumble of blonde hair and the strangest get up he had ever seen, even by the flamboyant standards of some witches and wizards. What was the girl wearing on her face? Was she hiding in some sort of disguise?.
His eyes flew to Professor McGonagall's, the question in them not reaching his lips. She gave a scant shake of her head, an unspoken warning not to voice it.
"Ah, Professor Snape. Here you are then," she said. She put a hand on the shoulder of the seated girl, signalling for her to rise.
"Luna, this is Severus Snape, who has kindly agreed for you to stay with him until Xenophi… until we find your father. Severus, this is Luna," she completed the introductions, her gaze flitting between the two, her uncertainty deepening.
"If you carried a little silver in your pocket, the shuttlers wouldn't follow you quite so much. A coin or two should do it," Luna said by way of greeting. Snape glared. Then he turned to the Deputy Headmistress.
"A word, Professor if you would be so kind," his words were polite but they were bitten out through clenched teeth.
Obligingly, Minerva led the way back beyond her door, away from the fireplace and towards her own desk at the further side of the room.
"Is this a joke? What is the matter with the girl?" Snape demanded without preamble.
"As far as I can make out, nothing," Minerva answered.
"She is not what you might expect from a typical eleven year old and she is no doubt trying to cope in her own way with the shock of Xenophilllus' disappearance. Severus, I think that she merely needs some gentleness and patience," she urged but the man's face was already darkening as a frown drew his brows together.
"What would you propose I do, Professor? Arrange a tea party for the shuttlers to make her imaginary friends feel welcome also? The girl is a babbling nitwit. And what is she wearing? Is that supposed to be some kind of costume?"
"It's what she arrived in. She has some unusual things to say but Severus, she is perfectly clear that her father has vanished and she is steadfast that something is not right about it. It is only natural that she is experiencing shock. She must be terrified, poor thing," the older woman's face crinkled with a similar look of concern he had seen on Professor Dumbledore's face only moments before.
He glanced back at the girl, who was standing perfectly still, seemingly in some sort of trance.
"She is unhinged, that's what she is. Have you actually looked at her?" he demanded.
In truth, Minerva shared a little of his incredulity but she chose not to admit it.
"She is a frightened child, Severus. Are you up to this?" Her flinty blue eyes stared straight into his darker ones.
"I was not aware I had a choice in it," he sneered and stepped back towards the girl with the air of one resigned to an unpleasant task.
"Gather your things, young lady. You will accompany me to my quarters," he said briskly.
Obediently, the girl stooped and picked up a small, faded carpet bag. Snape looked at her, puzzled.
"Where is the rest of it? I will arrange for it to be sent along" he said.
"There is no more. Well except for that box. It's only my books," she said looking at what appeared to be an old fruit box. It was piled high with volumes of books, covers crinkled and clearly well handled.
He looked back at her, rose an eyebrow. He had expected suitcases and trunks worth of clothes and the tat that young girls seemingly accumulated avidly.
"Very well, come along then," he said, drawing his wand and levitating the box of books so that it glided alongside them, as if borne on air.
Luna looked up at him as she left the warmth of Professor McGonagall's office. This new guardian was tall, his expression severe. She could only see his profile but disapproval radiated from him.
He did not like her and though she could think of no reason for it, she knew that this was so. Still, he had been thoughtful enough to bring her books and was gentle in moving them. She was grateful to him for that. Luna did not possess many treasures but her small library was her pride and joy. It was what she had instead of friends.
She followed the swift pace Professor Snape set along the dark, stony corridors of the old castle. This must be a great place to live, Luna thought, watching sconces in the wall that cradled the candles that lit their way.
There must be so many interesting things to find here. How many forgotten species hid within the gloomy corners of lofty, invisible heights? Dad would love a good rummage here, she thought and once again, the idea of her father made her feel sad, so she instead concentrated on keeping up with the Potions Master.
Luna was aware they were descending lower into the castle, the air got colder and even the candles could not fully drive back the darkness that seeped around them.
At last, he came to a large oak door and with a wave of his wand, it opened before him. Snape stopped and waved his hand to indicate that she should enter ahead of him. It was an old fashioned courtesy and one Luna liked.
She stepped forward into what was his private quarters, seeing a fireplace from corner of her eye, where yet another cheery blaze flickered. There were seats of dark leather and rug beneath her feet, jade coloured, trimmed in silver threads.
"This way."
The words were more of a summons than an invite and without further study of her surrounds, Luna found herself once again following the man from the room and down a hall to a closed door. Once again, it opened upon a wave of his wand. Once again, he stood aside, indicating that she should enter but this time he did not follow her over the threshold.
It was a bedroom, neat, spartan.
"This is the guestroom. You may use it as your room for now. The bathroom is next door. The living room we have just left. Understand that this is my home. My private space and I will thank you to respect that. You will not snoop into the other rooms here and you are to touch nothing."
Snape's welcoming speech was as austere as the surroundings and Luna looked up at him and nodded.
"I won't," she said, sounding not at all offended by the coldness of his tone.
"And if you make a mess, you clean it up. I will not be picking up after you and I do not tolerate mess and clutter," he pressed on.
"That's okay," she watched his brow draw a v shape as his frown deepened.
"And take those ridiculous glasses off! How can you see a damned thing?" he snapped.
She lifted the luridly coloured glasses off and strangely, she looked even more vulnerable without them, exposed somehow, with her clear eyes looking into his.
"They are very good for seeing lots of things. Star crests, mainly. Though you don't seem to have any," she looked pleased to deliver this news.
"Well that's a weight off my mind," he growled before turning on his heel and pulling the door closed behind him, leaving the girl and her curious ramblings behind him.
Luna regarded the door for several seconds, in the wake of the Professor's unceremonious departure. Then turned and took stock of the room itself.
He was truthful when he said he didn't like clutter. The furnishings in the room consisted of a bed, an old fashioned chest of drawers, a large armoire and an oval rug, this one embroidered in charcoal and oak shades.
She went and sat on the edge of the bed. The quiet settled around her and this was a very familiar and comforting sensation for Luna. She looked to where the Potions Master had set her box of books on the rug near the door. She liked to know they were near.
Then, she opened her little bag and withdrew her copy of The Quibbler, the last one she and her Dad had produced. Luna was especially proud of the cover of this issue. "WAND ROT - KNOW THE FACTS" the headline banner proclaimed. "Frozzle bite; The real truth behind poor spelling" the tag went on. The words were emblazoned across a large drawing of a toothy, hairy creature with small black eyes and fins.
Luna opened the slim volume and paged through it until she found a loose leaf which she took out and read it once more. She knew the words printed on it by heart but she read it over just the same. The page did not belong to The Quibbler but her father had printed it.
"Harry Potter - Is the Fate of The Boy Who Lived determined by a secret prophesy? "
Luna had heard the name of the magical world's most famous wizard. A boy of her own age, Harry Potter had done the impossible and survived a killing curse cast by the most powerful wizard who had ever been. She had never met him, it was thought he was living with some muggle relatives but his whereabouts were unknown. After the night his parents had died, murdered by the same wizard who had tried to kill him, the infant Harry Potter had simply disappeared from the magical world. Meanwhile, the dark one who had tried to kill him had also mysteriously vanished, many believed destroyed by whatever powerful magic the boy possessed.
Luna had no idea how much of this was fact and how much was legend. Neither had she any idea why her father was writing about it and why he had kept it from her. They worked as a team on just about everything. She believed that whatever it was about, it had something to do with his disappearance.
She had found the page tucked into a discarded Quibbler after Dad had gone missing. For some reason, Luna had not mentioned it when the old wizard, the well known one, the one who ran this school had come and talked to her about her Dad. She had told him about the symbol of the Hollows but this, she had kept secret. Dad had clearly not want anyone to know about it, though someone had clearly suspected something. Now knowing what was going on, Luna knew not who to trust and so chose to keep her own counsel.
When a rapping knock sounded on her door, she eased the page back into her magazine.
The door opened and the black clad wizard stood on the threshold. He regarded her with no less hostility than he had when he brought her here.
"I hope you are not waiting to be invited to supper. And I do not offer room service here, young lady," he snarled at her.
She ventured a small smile at him, though it only made him scowl in response.
"Supper would be lovely," Luna said as if he had actually issued a formal invitation. Luna experienced much of life in the pages of her beloved books and they explored subjects that were as diverse as her imagination allowed. Medieval histories full of misty villages snuggled in the shadows of lost mountains shared shelf space with adolescent romances bursting with longing and promise. Biographies of great wizards and witches nestled beside tales of enchanted lockets and changeling princesses
What Luna loved best though were courtly tales full of heroism and she appreciated gallantries no matter how small they might be or even if you had to stretch the mind a bit to find them.
He glared at her and turned swiftly on his heel and she thought he was about to stalk away once again in that impatient way of his. Instead, he paused and she realised he was waiting for her and so she rose and hastened to the door. Before she did, she carefully stored her Quibbler and its secret page back in her bag. He had not given it a second glance.